This invention relates to a track for sporting activities having a particulate surfacing full stop. The track may be used for activities such as dog racing, horse racing, athletics or even speedway and other motorised sporting activities.
A track usually comprises a surfacing of particulate material, such as sand, light gravel, cinder or shale, to a depth depending on the activity to be performed thereon. The surfacing may have a substrate layer of coarser material than an upper surfacing layer. Such a surfacing will hereinafter be referred to as `of the kind specified`.
The invention has been devised particularly, but not exclusively, for a dog track. Traditionally, dog tracks were grass surfaced, but to maintain a grass track requires the services of skilled grounds staff. Notwithstanding this, any damage of the track takes a considerable time to repair especially where the track is used frequently. Hence it is difficult to keep such a track in good condition.
For these reasons, in recent years, there has been a decline in the use of grass tracks and most dog tracks are now made of sand or similar particulate material. These can be kept in moderately good condition by raking, rolling and watering and do not need particularly skilled care. By `good condition` I mean that the surface is flat and compacted. However sand surfaces are readily churned up by the feet of dogs racing at high speed. This means that between races, efforts have to be made to return the track to a suitable condition for further racing. Previously, between races it has been usual for a tractor to circuit the track and to smooth the surface by the use of a rake, roller or screeding blade. The track is also frequently watered which enables the sand to be compacted. Generally, the wetter the material becomes, the better is the surface for dog racing.
This watering may be done either manually using a hose, or semi-automatically using sprinklers. In the latter case, typically the arrangement is that an inside rail of the track is provided with horizontal sprinkler bars supplied with water either directly from the mains or pumped from a supply, the sprinklers being operated when it appears necessary to settle the surface particles of the track, for example to minimise dust thrown up during racing.
Such sprinkler systems have disadvantages, particularly during windy weather because the spray pattern may not cover the track properly.
Very considerable effort is expended on conditioning a track before a race meeting and between races because of the risk of injury to the racing dogs.
In addition to the problems referred to above, none of the water used in conditioning the track has previously been reclaimable. A typical dog track uses many thousands of gallons of water each time the track is conditioned. As water has to be purchased on a commercial basis, this is obviously very expensive. Furthermore, if the use of public water supply for this purpose is prohibited, for example in times of drought, without alternative water supplies, racing may have to be abandoned.
A still further problem is that during the winter, the damp surface of the track may freeze unless it is heated. A common provision is for the entire surface of a dog track to have underground electric heating elements. Again this is obviously very expensive to install and run.